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About the Lakes
History of the Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes Region, is a major tourist destination in
the west-central section of Upstate New York, are actually eleven
lakes, but only seven of the largest are commonly identified as the
“Finger Lakes”. The lakes mainly are linear in shape, each lake
oriented on a north-south axis. The longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca
Lake, are among the deepest in America. Both are close to 40 miles
(64 km) from end to end, but never more than 3.5 miles (5,600 m)
wide. Cayuga is actually the longest (38.1 miles), but Seneca the
largest in total area. Seneca is the deepest (618 feet, 188.4 m),
followed by Cayuga (435 feet, 132.6 m), with the bottoms well below
sea level. These largest lakes resemble the others in shape, which
collectively reminded early map-makers of the fingers of a hand.
Native American Legend
“It is said that the Finger Lakes were made by the impression of
the hand of the Great Spirit on central New York State. However
there are six major Finger Lakes. West to east they are;
Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco and Skaneateles. As told
in Iroquois legend, the Great God Manitou wanted to reward the
Iroquois Confederacy for their courage in battle and their devotion
to the Great Spirit. He decided to bring part of their happy hunting
ground down from the heavens.
According to the legend, there are six Finger Lakes because the
hand of Manitou slipped when he was pushing the portion of Indian
Paradise down from the heavens, causing six indentations that later
became the lakes.” Excerpt from Legends and Stories of the Finger
Lakes Region by Emerson Klees
Lakes
The Finger Lakes from east to west (the first seven being
commonly identified as the Finger Lakes
Otisco Lake, Skaneateles Lake, Owasco Lake, Cayuga Lake, Seneca
Lake,
Keuka Lake, Canandaigua Lake, Honeoye Lake, Canadice Lake,
Hemlock Lake, Conesus Lake.
Region
The Finger Lakes were modified by glaciers, but were not simply
gouged out by glacial action, as often asserted. The present lakes
were preglacial stream valleys or earlier lakes. Glaciers modified
the terrain somewhat, but more critically: when the ice retreated,
deposits left behind dammed the valleys, impounding water. The
Finger Lakes are situated on the northern edge of the Appalachian
Upland. They now drain northward to Lake Ontario. The southern ends
of the lakes are characterized by steeper hills and glacial
hanging valleys which are tributaries that drop steeply to the
lake, often with waterfalls. Taughannock Falls, with a drop of 214
feet, is one of the highest waterfalls east of the Rocky Mountains.
Taughannock Falls State Park, Fillmore Glen, and Watkins Glen are
especially scenic examples of waterfalls that have been incorporated
into public parks.
Most of the area was originally forested with oak, hickory,
maple, chestnut, ash, hemlock, and beech trees, but the Iroquois
maintained, by annual burning, the land between Cayuga and Seneca
Lakes as prairie, with herds of bison, normally thought of as a
western animal. Today the Finger Lakes area is still known for
fishing and hunting. Winter sports are also popular, with skiing,
snowmobiling and ice fishing available.
The Finger Lakes region is an important agricultural sector of
New York. The rolling land between the lakes is occupied notably by
vineyards (discussed below) but more commonly with other farms,
mostly dairy operations, a number owned by Amish and Mennonite
families in the twentieth centuries. Many Quakers settled in the
nineteenth century. Farms raise corn, hay, wheat, oats, barley, and
soybeans. Cabbages, sweet corn, and potatoes are major vegetable
crops. Maple syrup and honey are also local products. Cornell
University maintains the New York State Agricultural Experiment
Station and horticultural gene bank at Geneva on the north end of
Seneca Lake.
Finger Lakes cities and larger villages are situated at the head
and foot of most major lakes: Skaneateles, Auburn, Ithaca, Geneva,
Watkins Glen, Penn Yan, Hammondsport and Canandaigua. These historic
communities with scenic situations all are tourist destinations, as
is the village of Aurora, which is situated on the east shore of
Cayuga Lake, and Naples, located about five miles south of
Canandaigua Lake. Although not on one of the lakes, the nearby city
of Corning is also a major destination for visitors, because of its
famous glass museum and demonstrations. Similarly, the villages of
Seneca Falls and Waterloo, although not on lakes, attract many to
the several sites of the Women's Rights National Historical Park and
the National Women's Hall of Fame. Likewise not on a lake but
attracting many visitors is the Genesee Country Village and Museum
at Mumford. Similarly, Letchworth State Park, with its famous gorge
and waterfalls, draws visitors to the western end of the Finger
Lakes region. The Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge at the foot of
Cayuga Lake is also a major feature of the region, as is the
Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park at Canandaigua.
Wine Country
The Finger Lakes area is New York's largest wine producing
region. Numerous wineries and vineyards are centered around Seneca,
Cayuga, Canandaigua, and Keuka Lakes. Because of the lakes' great
depth, they provide a lake effect to the lush vineyards that flank
their shores. Retaining residual summer warmth in the winter, and
winter's cold in the spring, the grapes are protected from
disastrous spring frost during grape formation, and early frost
before the harvest. With the passage of the Farm Winery Act in 1978,
countless numbers of wineries have opened their doors to visitors
from all over the world. Wineries are a major growth industry of the
region, not merely contributing to the economy through production,
but increasingly because they attract large numbers of visitors who
support other components of tourism.
History
The Finger Lakes region is a central part of the Iroquois
homeland. The Iroquois tribes include the Seneca and Cayuga tribes,
for which the two largest Finger Lakes are named. The Tuscarora
tribe lived in the Finger Lakes region as well. The Onondaga and
Oneida tribes lived at the eastern edge of the region, closer to
their namesake lakes, Lake Oneida and Onondaga Lake. The sixth
Iroquois tribe, the Mohawk, lived farther east. During colonial
times, many other tribes moved to the Finger Lakes region, seeking
the protection of the Iroquois. For example, remnants of several
tribes of North Carolina, collectively called the Tutelo, moved to
the town of Coreorgonel at the south end of Cayuga Lake near
present-day Ithaca. Major Iroquois towns in the Finger Lakes region
included the Seneca town of Gen-nis-he-yo (present-day Geneseo),
Kanadaseaga (Seneca Castle, near present-day Geneva), Goiogouen
(Cayuga Castle, east of Cayuga Lake), Chonodote(Cayuga town,
present-day Aurora), and Catherine's Town (near present-day Watkins
Glen).
As one of the most powerful Indian nations during colonial times,
the Iroquois were able to prevent European colonization of the
Finger Lakes region for nearly two centuries after first contact. By
the late 18th century Iroquois power had weakened, relative to the
European-Americans, and internal strife eroded the political unity
of the Iroquois League. During the American Revolutionary War some
of the Iroquois sided with the British and some with the Americans,
resulting in civil war among the Iroquois. In the late 1770s,
British-allied Iroquois attacks various American frontier
settlements, prompting counter-attacks, culminating in the Sullivan
Expedition of 1779, which destroyed most of the Iroquois towns and
effectively broke Iroquois power.
After the Revolutionary War, the Iroquois and other Indians of
the region were assigned reservations. Most of their land, including
the Finger Lakes region, was opened up to purchase and settlement.
Roughly the western half of the Finger Lakes region comprised the
Phelps and Gorham Purchase of 1790. The region was rapidly settled
at the turn of the nineteenth century, largely by a westward
migration from New England, but to a lesser degree by northward
influx from Pennsylvania. The regional architecture reflects these
area traditions of the Federal and Greek Revival periods.
The Finger Lakes region, together with the Genesee Country of
Western New York, has been referred to as the Burned-Over District,
where, in the 19th century, the Second Great Awakening was a revival
of Christianity, and some new religions were also formed. The region
was active in reform and utopian movements. Many Underground
Railroad sites have been documented. The Harriet Tubman Home at
Auburn recalls the life and work of the African-American "Moses of
her people."
On the northern end of the Finger Lakes is also Seneca Falls, the
birthplace of the Women's suffrage movement, Waterloo, the
birthplace of Memorial Day, and Palmyra, the birthplace of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the
Mormon Church. An annual outdoor drama, The Hill Cumorah Pageant,
produced by the Mormons draws thousands of visitors each year.
Hammondsport was the home of aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss, and
the favorable air currents make the area a popular spot for glider
pilots. Elmira, just to the south, was the home of Mark Twain in his
later life, and the site of an infamous Civil War prison. Corning is
most noted as the home of Corning Glass Works. Hornell, just
southwest of the Finger Lakes was a major railroad center.
Locomotives were repaired there until recently.
Notable among the historic buildings of the region is the Granger
Homestead (1816), a large village house in Federal Style at
Canandaigua, New York. Another example of the Federal Style is the
Prouty-Chew House (1829) at Geneva, portions of which were altered
at various times in new fashions. Three Greek Revival mansions are
situated near three lakes: The Richard DeZeng House, Skaneateles
(1839), Rose Hill, Geneva (1839), and Esperanza, Penn Yan (1838).
The latter two are open to the public. The Seward House in Auburn, a
National Historic Landmark, is a mansion more characteristic of the
Civil War era, virtually unchanged from the nineteenth century.
Belhurst Castle, Geneva, a stone mansion in the Romanesque Revival
style, now serves as an inn. Sonnenberg mansion at Canandaigua is
later nineteenth-century residence in the Queen Anne style, known
for its restored period gardens. Geneva on the Lake is a villa
(1910-14) that recalls those on Italian lakes. Now an inn, it has
exceptional gardens in the European manner. Many buildings and
historic districts of the Finger Lakes region are notable, other
than these historic houses.
Fingerakes History – Courtesy of:“The Fingerlakes," in
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia; (Wikimedia Foundation Inc.,)
2007.
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